UJ to start looking for successor to Rensburg in October

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) will start a recruitment process in October to find a successor to Vice-Chancellor and Principal Prof Ihron Rensburg‚ whose term will end at the beginning of 2018.

Prof Ihron Rensburg. File photo.Image by: ALON SKUY

The chairperson of UJ’s Council‚ Prof Roy Marcus‚ on Sunday announced a transition plan leading up to Rensburg’s departure.

Marcus said that following the advertisement of the Vice-Chancellor’s post in October 2016‚ a high level panel would shortlist candidates by March next year. Shortlisted candidates would make the necessary academic presentations to the University congregations in May 2017‚ and the selection panel would conduct interviews in June 2017.

“Our aim is to announce Prof Rensburg’s successor soon after the interviews so that the new Vice-Chancellor can participate in a seamless transition with Prof Rensburg from January 2018‚” said Marcus.

Marcus added that under Rensburg’s leadership‚ the university – which came into existence in January 2005 through the merger of the then Rand Afrikaans University (RAU)‚ Technikon Witwatersrand (TWR) and the Soweto Campus of Vista University — had made massive progress in transforming itself into a leading South African‚ continental‚ and international organization of learning and teaching open to all.

“The task now is to build on what the University has become under Prof Rensburg’s leadership‚” said Marcus. “The current VC’s term will be somewhat shorter than initially envisaged at his own request. After more than a decade as the founding Vice-Chancellor of UJ‚ Prof Rensburg felt that the time had come to hand the leadership reigns to an academic able to take our success story to the next level.”

Marcus said that the transition to a new vice-chancellor would be managed over the coming year. The university and particularly its council were fortunate to be able to benefit from Rensburg’s expertise‚ knowledge and leadership until early 2018‚ by which stage a commendable successor would be in place.